DTH
Cable operators meet to counter DTH threat
MUMBAI: Feeling the threat that direct-to-home (DTH) would offer, cable operators met in Mumbai today to discuss how they could beat the competition.
They were particularly concerned about the way a DTH service provider was approaching housing societies in Mumbai with the proposal of offering residents a central dish antenna through which it would connect individual installations. This would, thus, do away with the usual practice of each flat owner having to buy a dish.
The meeting was called by Cable Operators and Distributors Association (CODA) and multi system operators (MSOs) were invited to offer their views. No decision has been taken yet on what course of action the cable operators would take.
“By setting up a common dish antenna, the DTH operator can grab away the entire society. This amounts to redistribution of signals and is unfair,” says a last mile operator who attended the meeting.
Tata Sky Ltd, the joint venture between the Tatas and Star, has approached societies of several high-rise buildings in Mumbai with such proposals because individual dish antennas, though not expensive, would be a difficult proposition in homes. Besides, marketing it to societies would be less tedious and cumbersome a process than approaching individual homes.
Defending the strategy, Tata Sky CEO Vikram Kaushik says this is only one of the many proposals that the company is making to rope in DTH subscribers. “Whenever any restructuring happens in any business, there will be forces which will have to adjust to the new reality,” he elaborates.
Tata Sky is planning to start its DTH service anytime between March and June 2006. It is awaiting the launch of ISRO’s Insat 4A satellite on 16 December.
In the meeting, representatives from MSOs suggested cable operators to push for digital cable TV. By being able to seed set-top boxes (STBs), they will be more effective in retaining their subscribers. “Antagonising any broadcaster by blacking out channels is not the solution, at least not immediately. Other ways have to be tried out. Ultimately we have to compete in the market with technologies like the DTH,” an executive from a leading MSO said.
CODA will meet again next week to decide on what action cable operators would take. “There are many issues that the cable industry faces. We were discussing some of them,” CODA president Anil Parab said, refusing to specify any single topic that dominated the meeting.
Siticable CEO Jagjit Kohli, Incablenet president Manoj Motwani and senior executives from Hathway Cable & Datacom attended the meeting.
DTH
DD Free Dish e-auction revenue dips to Rs 642 crore as slot sales fall
Revenue dips as revised norms reshape bidding in 94th round
NEW DELHI: Prasar Bharati’s DD Free Dish has closed its 8th annual, and 94th overall, e-auction for MPEG-2 slots with total collections of Rs 642 crore for the period April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
That is lower than last year’s Rs 780 crore haul, with 55 slots sold compared with 61 in FY25–26. The softer topline reflects both a slimmer inventory and a recalibrated auction framework.
This was the first auction conducted after amendments to the e-auction methodology, including tighter eligibility norms and a revised reserve price structure for MPEG-2 slots. The stated aim was greater transparency and more serious participation. The immediate outcome appears to be more measured bidding in certain categories.
Day one set the tone. Eight slots were sold, six in the premium Bucket A+ and two in Bucket A. The strong early action in A+, which typically houses Hindi GECs and movie channels, reaffirmed the enduring appeal of mass Hindi programming on the platform.
Among the broadcasters securing slots in the initial rounds were Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom18’s Colors network, Sun Network and Shemaroo Entertainment. Their continued presence signals that, despite the pull of digital platforms, Free Dish remains a strategic must have for legacy networks chasing scale in price sensitive markets.
The final bouquet of 55 channels leans heavily towards Hindi news, movies, devotional fare, Bhojpuri and regional programming.
In Hindi news, familiar heavyweights such as Aaj Tak, ABP News, India TV, News18 India, Republic Bharat and Zee News made the cut. Entertainment and movie offerings include Colors Rishtey, Star Utsav, Dangal TV, Sony Pal, Shemaroo TV, Goldmines, B4U Movies and Zee Biskope. Devotional viewers will find Aastha, Sanskar and Sadhna Gold among the selected channels.
Regional representation includes Sun Marathi, Fakt Marathi, PTC Punjabi and GTC Punjabi.
Equally telling were the absences. Broadcasters such as Big Magic, Filamchi Bhojpuri, India News, Bharat Express, Movieplex Maithili, TV9 Marathi, Shemaroo Marathibana, Zee Chitra Mandir and Satsang did not participate. The pullback is particularly visible across Marathi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and spiritual programming. Industry observers point to the revised reserve prices, tighter eligibility norms and a reassessment of commercial viability as possible factors.
DD Free Dish continues to beam into over 40 million homes, largely in rural and semi urban India. For advertisers and broadcasters alike, it offers efficient access to Bharat markets where pay TV penetration remains uneven and OTT subscriptions are limited.
The moderation in revenue this year may be read as a pause rather than a retreat. Fewer slots, a reworked auction playbook and evolving broadcaster strategies have clearly shaped outcomes. Yet premium Hindi entertainment retains its pull, and the platform’s mass reach remains hard to ignore.
As the FY26–27 line-up settles in, the mix of winners and walkaways will define the private satellite channel landscape on DD Free Dish for the year ahead.
